


Refugees From Homeworld

by Swordtheguy



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, F/M, Gen, Might be deleted...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-21 17:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7396195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swordtheguy/pseuds/Swordtheguy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Homeworld is like any place people live in that, some of the people who live there want to leave. But leaving Homeworld is far from an easy task and even if you do, who's to say what's awaiting on the other side?<br/>When Steven and his friends find out about a runaway Gem hiding in Empire City, they start an adventure that will begin to define themselves and the Crystal Gems forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gathering the Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place between "Steven Floats" and "Drop Beat Dad".

"Almost… Almost…" Steven carefully eyed the contents on the plate before him as he slowly and methodically hovered the last piece of bread over his soon to be meal. "And… There!" he finally exclaimed as he gently placed the slice on the open-faced sandwich. And not a moment too soon. Connie was going to be over any second. Steven scooted the sandwich and it's plate over to the other side of the counter, where there was an identical sandwich waiting for it. Steven inspected both of them closely, looking for any minor imperfection like dripping condiments or askew meat or cheese. However, to his relief, both sandwiches looked perfect. He then picked up both of the plated meals and gingerly walked them both over to the coffee table where there sat two glasses, one filled with Mrs. Pib and the other was filled with unsweetened tea. He placed one plate by each of the glasses and then he sat himself on the couch and began to wait for Connie to arrive.

Or, at least that was his intent. But as Steven was quick to learn, life was rarely that simple.

Just as Steven was about to relax on the couch, a light shone over from the temple's entrance. Steven thought maybe it was the Gems finally returning from their mission. However, as he made his way over to the warp pad, he saw not three Gems, but just one.

"Ah, hello Steven." Peridot stiffly greeted as she stepped off of the pad. "Is Amethyst here?"

"Sorry, Peridot." Steven responded. "The Gems are off on a mission right now."

"I see…" Peridot said frowning. "Do you know when they'll be back?"

"Nope, not that I know of." Steven said, shaking his head. "Though, why are you looking for her? Maybe I can help?" he added eagerly.

"Uh, well…" the Gem began to answer. "I was explaining to Lazuli about the fifth season of Camp Pining Hearts and how, after the Sophie betrayal arc, the show's writing began to worsen and how it wouldn't recover until the seventh season-" Peridot seemed to notice the glazed over look that was overtaking Steven's expression. "W-well anyway…" she hastily said, cutting off her previous line of thought. "Midway through my explanation, Lazuli suddenly, er… calmly requested that she have some privacy at the barn."

"I see." Steven said slowly. "So you just need somewhere to hang out until Lapis finishes with her alone time."

"Yes, 'hang out'." Peridot said. "That is why I'm looking for Amethyst. She informed me that if Lazuli ever needed any alone time, I was to find her so we could 'hang out'. I must admit, I'm curious to know what 'hanging out' entails."

"Oh, well that's easy. You just spend time with friends." Steven said.

"But, I do that all the time." Peridot responded, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah." Steven admitted. "But hanging out is kinda different. When you hang out with someone you just… um, hang out." Steven furrowed his brow as he thought. "Hmm… This might be harder to explain than I thought. Ooh! I know. Why don't you stick around and hang out with me and Connie?"

"That might be a good idea. Then I could witness the process of hanging out first hand." Peridot said, slowly nodding her head. "What will we be doing while we're hanging out?"

"Connie's bringing over her laptop and we're going to watch the new episode of 'Dragon Sphere Ultra'. It's a cartoon from Japan." Steven answered.

"What is a dragon?" Peridot asked.

"It's like a giant lizard that grants wishes." Steven replied.

"So it's an oversized reptile? That doesn't sound too impressive."

"Well, the dragon spheres haven't really been all that important to the show's plot for awhile. Unless someone dies, that is." Steven added.

"I see." Peridot lied. "Is this show like Camp Pining Hearts?"

"Um, not really." Steven answered. "DSU is more about really cool fights and humorous asides."

"There's a lot of fighting in Camp Pining Hearts." Peridot responded.

"Not that kind of fighting. This is the kind of fighting the Gems do, not the kind of fighting you and Lapis do." Steven explained.

"Oh, I see." Peridot seemed disappointed. "Well, I suppose I will stay around and see if this lizard sphere show is any good."

"That's Dragon Sph-" Steven was cut off by the sound of knocking at the front door. "Come in, Connie!" he called.

Connie did so, opening the screen door and stepping into the house. "Hey, Steven." she greeted.

"Hi, Connie." he returned. "You ready?"

Connie smiled brightly. "Yup. My laptop is fully charged and everything." She held up the black rectangular laptop she was carrying. As she entered the house proper, though, her smile drooped ever so slightly when she noticed the green Gem. "Oh, hi Peridot." she greeted, just a hair less enthusiastically than she had Steven. "What are you doing here?"

"Lapis wanted some time to herself at the barn." Steven said. "So I thought maybe she could watch the new episode of DSU with us."

"Oh, um… well, this is a mid-season episode. She won't know what's going on…" Connie trailed off.

"That is alright." Peridot responded simply. "I have many times explained to Lazuli the current happenings when I watch an episode of Camp Pining Hearts. I am sure you two can do the same, Connie."

"Of course…" Connie responded, the dejected tone of her voice being lost on Peridot. Without a word, she walked over to the couch and sat her laptop on the coffee table in between the two sandwiches.

"Hey, Connie." Steven said lightly, even though his face looked more apologetic. "I made us lunch already."

Connie smiled slightly as she typed in her password to her laptop. "Turkey, mayonnaise, and cheese on rye bread?"

Steven nodded his head. "I even had my Dad drive me to the bakery out of town so I could get that rye bread you really like."

"Steven, you didn't have to do that."

"I know. But I wanted you to have the best sandwich possible." Steven said.

"That's really sweet of you. Thanks, Steven." Connie's smile widened as she typed in the internet address for her streaming site.

"I'm sorry about Peridot." Steven whispered as he looked over towards the Gem to make sure she was out of earshot. "I know you like it when it's just you and me."

"It's alright, Steven." Connie reassured. "Peridot's our friend, so she can watch with us if she wants." After she typed in her username and password, the pair were greeted with the title card for the new Dragon Sphere Ultra episode.

"Ready to fuse, Connie?" Steven asked as the video began to buffer.

"Fusing is necessary to watch this show?" Peridot asked somewhat warily as she walked over to join the two on the couch.

"Well, not really." Steven said. "But the show is in Japanese."

"Japanese?" Peridot repeated slowly. "What's that?"

"It's the language people speak in Japan." Steven answered.

"What's a Japan?"

"It's the country where they produce Dragon Sphere."

"And they communicate in Japanese?" Peridot asked.

"Yep. And Connie and I don't understand Japanese so we have to use subtitles. And subtitles are when the show displays what the characters are saying when you can't understand them." Steven added when he saw Peridot preparing the next obvious question.

"Hmm… I see." Peridot said. "I believe I have encountered these 'subtitles' before in certain episodes of Camp Pining Hearts. I thought the strange noises they made were part of their mating ritual and the printed words were just narration." She paused for a moment before asking, "But I have seen both of you read words before. Why is the prowess of fusion needed?"

"Well…" Steven started, a little embarrassed. "I don't really read that fast. So sometimes I miss what the characters are saying because the subtitle goes away before I can finish reading it. So we fuse so that I don't miss anything and Connie doesn't have to keep rewinding so I can reread what was said."

"Actually Steven…" Connie awkwardly interjected. "Would you mind if we didn't fuse this time? My Mom is still kinda sore about the pyramid incident and she's going to ask me when I get home if we fused and…" she looked away, the embarrassment getting the better of her. "I'd rather not have to lie to her."

"Oh, sure Connie." Steven replied, his face reddening with the shared embarrassment. "We can just watch the episode like this."

"Thanks, Steven." she replied, looking back at the computer screen. "It looks like the video's done buffering. Are we ready?"

"Ready." Steven said assuredly.

"I as well." Peridot added.

"Okay. Then lets-" Connie stopped in the middle of her sentence as a new window popped up on her laptops screen. "Oh." she said. "Here. Let me check this real quick."

"What is it?" Steven asked.

"It's a Golele News Alert." Connie explained. "If you make an account on Golele, you can set it so that you'll get an alert when certain words are used in the news."

"What kind of words?"

"Well, whatever you want. Like some of the ones I have marked are 'Spirit Morph Saga', 'Brian Tullman', and 'Joyamation'. But I also use it for something else."

"What's that?" Steven asked.

"An alert on possible Gem activity." Connie said as her eyes were already scanning the notification. "I have things tagged for alerts like: 'monster', strangely colored skin', and 'gem on body'."

"What does your Golele say?" Peridot asked as she squinted her eyes at the screen.

"That there have been reports of a 'green-skinned woman' running through the alleyways of Empire City." Connie read.

"'Green skinned woman'?" Steven repeated. "Do you think it's…" he trailed, unsure of the implications of this news.

"I'm not sure. There are a lot of street performers in Empire City." Connie replied to his unasked question. "Let me see if there's a picture." She quickly scrolled through the alert page before stopping on a grainy image. "Here we go."

The three all leaned in closer towards the screen, doing their best to see through the low picture quality. From what Steven could tell, it was indeed a picture of a green woman, though he could also see yellow highlights on her chest and legs, as well as her long, fiery red hair. But the most noteworthy detail had to be the triangular gem placed on her forehead. There was no doubt. This person had to be a Gem.

Silence hung in the air as all three of them reached the same conclusion. It was finally Connie who broke the silence, "Their gem looks just like Peridot's." She and Steven both turned to face the Gem. "Could she be a peridot like you?" she asked.

"Unlikely." Peridot responded, still looking at the picture. "I've never seen a peridot that size or with that particular hair coloration."

"Do you know what kind of Gem she is?" Steven asked.

"I can't really tell. This picture is of inadequate quality to clearly see her gem."

Silence permeated them again as the unasked question hung between them. And no one seemed to know how to answer it.

But after several minutes of silent contemplation, Steven decided to simply bypass it. "We should go to the barn and get Lapis." he said simply.

"Why would we do that?" Peridot asked, unaware the silent question had already been answered.

"Because we'll need all the help we can get tracking down the Gem in Empire City." Connie replied, though it was somewhere between a question and an answer.

"Track them down!?" Peridot squealed. "But- But… Shouldn't we wait for Amethyst and the others?"

"I don't know when they'll be back. Sometimes their away for days at a time." Steven said as he stood from the couch. "We need to find the Gem so we… So we can find out why she's here."

"Right." Connie agreed as she shut the lid to her laptop. "So what's the plan, Steven?"

"Um… Well…" Steven stuttered as the mantle of leadership was passed to him. "I guess we go to the barn, get Lapis, and then head to Empire City to start looking for the Gem."

"Sounds good." Connie said. She stood up and took a few steps away from the couch before asking, "Do you think I should take a sword?"

Steven thought for a moment before answering, "No. As far as we know, the Gems not attacking anyone. And we don't want to seem like we want to attack her."

Connie nodded her confirmation. "Alright, Steven." She paused a moment before adding, "You know, this is my first time going to Empire City." She smirked slightly. "I was kinda hoping there'd be more time for sight seeing."

"There's always next time." Steven smiled back. "Empire City is just a warp pad away."

"Well!" Peridot suddenly declared as she stood and clasped her hands together. "It sounds like you two have the mission firmly in hand. I'll just leave you to it…" She began to slowly edge her way over to the warp pad.

"Peridot." Steven said, the firmness of his voice stopping her in her tracks. "We need you on the mission as well."

"Me?! I-… I don't think you need me…" Peridot stuttered.

"Come on, Peridot. Without Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl here, we need all the help we can get." Connie said. "You've been on missions before. This is just another one."

"Yeah! And you know what happened on the first real mission I went on! You almost died!" Peridot cried out, her voice wavering as she spoke.

"Wow, Peridot." Connie lightly teased. "It sounds like you were really worried about me."

Peridot instantly began to blush as she shyly looked away. "You're my friend, Connie. It is normal to worry about your friends, yes?" she asked quietly.

Connie giggled. "Of course. And what better way to keep an eye on me, then by coming on the mission with us."

Peridot sighed deeply. "This isn't going to end well, will it?"

"It'll end happily, Peridot." Steven assured. "You just gotta believe it will."

Peridot sighed again, resigned to her fate. "Very well. Are we ready?"

"I am." Connie confirmed.

"Me too." Steven said. "Let's head out." The trio walked back to the warp pad. After a moment of standing there, it activated in a flash of light and the three were gone, Connie's laptop still sitting on the table being the only evidence they had been there.

 

 

 

 

* * *

Lapis enjoyed the empty barn's solitude. And this fact never failed to surprise her. After spending thousands of years trapped in the mirror, she had always thought she would yearn for contact with other Gems. But it seems even imprisonment couldn't do anything for Lapis's lone wolf nature.

Though, it would probably help if she had many choices other than Peridot.

Lapis sighed. She shouldn't think things like that. Steven stuck up for Peridot and, if nothing else, Steven seemed to be a good judge of character. And Lapis did have to admit, the small, green Gem did seem to turn over a new leaf. But did she have to be so annoying all the time? If she wasn't talking about any of the number of human gadgets and devices that she tinkered with and that also littered her side of the barn, then she was talking about that human show she was obsessed with.

"Lazuli, allow me to explain to you about the Color War. It was a major event in season one and two."

"What do you think about Percy, Lazuli? Who do you think he would most optimally be paired with?"

"Seasons one through five are the best, but I do think the last season, season seven, had redeemable parts. What do you think, Lazuli?"

At Peridot's behest, Lapis had watched some episodes of the show, but all it reminded her of were her days back at court. People scheming and betraying each other; deals made and then broken just as easily. Memories Lapis would best like to leave in the past.

She sighed again. But, as inane as it was, the show meant a lot to Peridot and it was probably a good sign that she wanted to share it with Lapis.

But still…

"Lapis!" a familiar voice called out, breaking Lapis from her musings. She exited the barn and saw Steven, Peridot, and… someone else walking towards her.

"Hey, Steven." Lapis greeted, a smile growing on her face. She couldn't help it. Steven just had that effect on her. "What's um…" she glanced over at Peridot and the newcomer. "What's going on?"

"Well, we've got a mission to do." Steven replied.

"A mission?" Lapis questioned, confused as to what he meant. "What kind of mission?"

"There's a Gem in Empire City!" Peridot exclaimed. The suppressed, almost panicky look on her face told Lapis that coming along on the mission had not been Peridot's first choice.

"What kind of Gem is it?" Lapis asked.

"We don't know. All the pictures of it were too low quality to tell." the unfamiliarly familiar person said.

"I'm sorry… I don't think we've really met…" Lapis responded slowly. This was of course, partially untrue. They had sort of met before, though under much less ideal circumstances.

"Oh! That's right!" Steven said as the same thought dawned on him. "I forgot to introduce you two." He stepped aside so as to allow Lapis and Connie to have a clear view of each other. "Lapis, this is my friend, Connie. And Connie, this is my friend Lapis."

"Hello, Lapis." Connie greeted as pleasantly as possible. "It's good to meet you."

"Um… yeah. It's good to meet you too, Connie." Lapis awkwardly returned. She hid it well, but Lapis could tell that Connie still remembered their true first meeting. It wasn't a meeting that Lapis was proud of, but it seemed Steven had the same effect on Connie as he did on herself. Making you ignore your instincts and instead give someone you don't trust a chance.

"So, Lapis." Steven interjected, breaking the heavy air that had formed around them. "There's a Gem in Empire City. And we don't know who they are or why they're here."

"Are they a Homeworld Gem?" asked Lapis.

"That's most probable." Peridot answered. "Were they a Gem that was already on Earth, then the Crystal Gems would have most likely already known they were here."

"I see. So, let me if I've got this straight:" Lapis began recapping, "There's a strange Homeworld Gem on Earth, in one of the largest and most populated settlements on Earth, and we don't know who they are or even what type of Gem they are."

"That's about it." replied Connie.

"Alright, next question. Why are you gathering the B-Team, Steven?" Lapis asked. "I mean, isn't this something the others should handle?"

"Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are away on another mission." Steven said. "And I'm not sure when they'll be back."

"Do they often just leave you alone for long, unknown stretches of time?" Lapis asked as she raised and eyebrow.

Sometimes." Steven shrugged nonchalantly.

"Wow." Lapis said simply. "They're really good at this guardian thing aren't they?" she sarcastically retorted.

"We can discuss who takes better care of Steven later." Connie broke in. There was just the barest of edges to her voice. "Right now, we need to head to Empire City and look for this Gem."

"Yeah, Lapis. With you, me, Connie, and Peridot, we're a full team." said Steven.

The blue Gem stared blankly at the three before finally breathing a heavy sigh. "Alright, I'll come." She paused a moment before continuing, "Is there a warp pad around Empire City?"

Steven nodded. "Yep. It's in Kings."

"That's good." Connie said. "Most of the reports have said that the Gem was sighted in Kings."

"Why have no humans discovered this warp pad?" Peridot asked.

"I dunno. Pearl told me that a lot of the people who live there think the house's around it are haunted." Steven responded.

"'Haunted'." Peridot said rolling her eyes. "Humans believe the most ridiculous things." she said, not noticing the sideways look Connie was giving her.

"Weren't you the one who believed me when I said that humans were harvested from the ground like gems?" Lapis dryly asked, a small smirk appearing on her face.

Peridot's cheeks began to glow brightly as she spoke, "I had good reason to believe that! Percy was burying Sophie in the sand at the beach. I thought is was to continue her growth cycle." She bashfully turned away. "She does have the most diminutive stature…"

"Right." Lapis said, not really wanting to continue this line of thought if it led back to Peridot's obsessions. "So, are we ready to head to the Big Jewel?"

"Wow, Lapis." Steven said as he lead the group back over towards the warp pad that stood just a little ways away from the barn. "'B-Team'. 'Big Jewel'. You're picking up a lot of slang phrases. You must be paying attention when Peridot's watching T.V."

Peridot gasped with surprised delight as they all stepped on the crystalline pad. "Is that true, Lazuli? You do like Camp Pining Hearts?"

This time, it was Lapis's turn to blush brightly as she stammered, "Uh… well, I mean… If it's the only thing going on… and um, you know there's not a whole lot of distractions here at the barn…" she trailed off.

"Oh, boy. When we get back I'm going to show you the Percy/Pierre fight arc. It's easily some of the best writing the show has to offer." Peridot bounced up and down, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Great…" Lapis said, beginning to wish she was alone again. "I can't wait…"

There was a pause, before light once again sprang up from the pad, engulfing the group, and taking them to their first mission as the B-Team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally, I'm probably going to wait and just watch Dragon Sphere Ultra when it gets an English dub. If I hear Groku voiced by anyone other then Brian Basemmel, it just sounds weird to me. Sorry, all you sub watchers out there. Hopefully Joyamation will pull the trigger and announce a dub soon.
> 
> Alright, alright, I'll stop.
> 
> But yes, new story time. And this one will have OCs! Everyone loves OCs! And it will have fights and backstory on Homeworld and hopefully some laughs and feels.  
> Hopefully.  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy.
> 
> PS: Also forgot to mention, feel free to give me critical feedback. I want to be able to provide the best stories possible and your feedback can help with that. Thanks in advance.


	2. Putting Aside Introductions

Connie really didn't like teleporting. Or more specifically, she really didn't like the _feeling_ of teleporting. It was kind of hard to explain, but if she had to, she would equate it to the feeling of the first drop on a rollercoaster. The difference being, instead of feeling your stomach drop, you instead feel it rising. And unlike a rollercoaster, with teleporting there was no indication of when it was going to stop. One second your gut was pressed against your lungs, then the next they drop back into place.

It always left her feeling slightly nauseous. After her initial excitement over it had passed, back when Steven had first convinced Pearl to train her, it quickly became one of her least favorite feelings

"Where are we?" Peridot asked, looking around their surroundings. Connie had to wonder as well. They were in about a five-foot wide area, barely big enough to contain the warp pad. Brick walls of varying levels of faded red surrounded them, rising much too high for Connie to even begin to climb. She looked up and saw a mixture of blue sky and gray clouds.

"Hmm… My GPS says we're in Kings." Steven said, looking down at his phone. "But the warp pads messes with its location tracker. I don't know where we are exactly."

"Why build a warp pad here?" Lapis asked, still glancing around the area. "I mean, what's the point? It's completely blocked off."

"Building new warp pads is a very resource and skill intensive process," Peridot explained. "I doubt that the Crystal Gems have a sufficient amount of either. So it's most probable that the walls were built when the pad was already here."

"Well, how do we get out of here?" Connie asked, her stomach finally beginning to calm down.

"That's the easy part," Lapis said simply. Before Connie could ask what she meant by that, Lapis extended two watery appendages from the gem placed on her back. They appeared to Connie to look like a pair of wings.

"I can fly," Lapis responded to the unspoken question resting on Connie's face.

"Okay…" Connie said slowly. "But what about us? We can't fly."

"Oh, that's the fun part, Connie!" Steven exclaimed. "We can just ride on Lapis's back while she flies."

"Uh, yeah. No." Lapis responded. "I can only take one person on my back." Connie was fairly certain who Lapis would allow to ride on her back as well. "The other two I can carry in my arms," she finished.

"Not that I doubt you or anything Lapis, but will you really be able to hold two of us in your arms while balancing a third on your back?" Connie asked skeptically.

Lapis chuckled lightly. "You don't have to worry about that, Connie. Gems can adjust their mass, so carrying Peridot won't be a problem. And as for a human, well… would you like a demonstration?"

"A demonstration? Like, a quick flight?"

Lapis nodded. "Sure. I want everyone to feel safe with me carrying them. And if you're feeling doubtful, I'd like to clear those doubts up before we all take to the sky."

Connie was unsure about taking Lapis up on her offer. It's not that she didn't trust Lapis but…

A memory flashed through Connie's mind.

 

_She had been lifted up in the air, her entire head engulfed in a sphere of water. She could feel the salt water sting her eyes and she began to panic as her chest tightened due to lack of oxygen. This was going to be it. This was her end-_

 

Connie banished the memory from her mind. That was in the past. Steven seemed to trust Lapis and he had been right about Peridot. But initial introductions were hard to shake away.

"Sure, Lapis. Let's go for a ride." Connie replied, trying to sound relaxed. "How do you want to do this exactly?"

"Just turn around," Lapis responded. Connie did so and before she could ask "What next?", Connie felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around her waist. "Try not to squirm too much," Lapis answered.

And then, in a heartbeat, Connie was in the air. She was floating above the roofs of the of the buildings that surrounded and boxed in the group and the warp pad. Connie gazed into the distance and could see what she believed was the Manhatten skyline. It was very big. Much bigger than the skyline of anywhere she had lived before.

"Pretty nice, huh?" Lapis asked. Connie turned her head to the side in order to see the blue Gem's face. "It's even better at night," she said.

"I bet," Connie responded. "So what now?" she questioned, trying her best to keep her voice level and calm.

"Well, now…" Lapis began as she was looking around their immediate surroundings. "See that building down there?"

Connie looked down in front of them and saw what she thought Lapis was referring to. "You mean the one with the red 'X' painted on the roof?"

"That's the one. As long as we remember the 'X', then we know that the warp pad is nearby. And that Steven and Peridot are waiting here too." Lapis added lightly.

"Wait, aren't we going back down for them?"

"Yeah, after our test flight," Lapis responded with a lopsided grin.

"That's not what this is…" It was less of a question and more of a statement. Connie's eyes began to scan below them to try and find Steven and Peridot. Once she saw exactly how high they were up, however, she regretted her decision to look down.

"This wasn't going to be it," Lapis said slowly. "I was going to let us fly around a little."

"I see…" Connie replied unenthusiastically.

"If you don't want to do this, then I can drop you and Peridot off by the street. Then maybe Steven and I can start searching from the air and you and Peridot can start searching from the ground," Lapis offered.

"No, I-…" Connie paused a moment in order to straighten her thoughts before continuing. "It would be best for all of us to be up here, so we can get the best vantage possible. It's just that…" she glanced back down below her and began to feel just a little light headed. "I… don't really like heights…"

"'You don't like heights'?" Lapis repeated. "How come?"

"I don't know. They've just always made me nervous." Connie said. "I mean, as long as I don't think about it and I feel like I have stable ground underneath me, then I'm usually fine. But to have _no_ ground underneath me…"

"Alright. Here, let me set you down, Connie…"

"No! Lapis, really. This is good." Connie said. "I've been working on conquering my fear. This'll help me."

"You sure?" Lapis asked a bit hesitantly.

"Yeah," Connie responded simply. "Why don't we go for that test flight you had planned?"

"Okay, if you insist," Lapis said. "We'll make it quick, though. I can imagine Steven and Peridot are wondering why we've been hanging here in the air this whole time." Connie could feel Lapis's arms tighten around her before they slowly began moving forward. Connie could see Lapis's watery wings flapping fast to keep them airborne.

"This is how you fly?" Connie asked. The way Steven had made it out to be, she had thought they'd be moving a lot faster.

"Well, no," Lapis admitted. "Usually, my flight is a bit more like… um, what did Steven call them? Birds, I think?"

"You turn your arms into wings?" Connie asked.

"No, no. I mean, usually, I fly with my body horizontal to the ground. That way I get less wind resistance so my wings don't have to work as hard and I can glide on the wind."

Connie smirked. "So like a bird."

The Gem smirked back. "Yeah, just so."

"Okay, well if that's how you usually fly, let's do it," Connie said determinedly.

"If you're sure…" Lapis trailed off. Connie nodded her head vigorously. "Alright. Let's go."

Connie felt herself tilt forward as she got an eyeful of the streets, houses and apartment complexes beneath them. She quickly craned her head to look ahead of them and, for just a moment, everything looked still. Until it wasn't. She felt the wind rushing past her face before she realized that the skyline in the horizon was growing closer. They were moving really fast, or at least it seemed really fast. Connie had no way of telling if Lapis was holding back and, if she was, how much she was holding back. But what Connie could tell was how smooth the ride was. Lapis must be stronger than Connie had thought, because while they were in the air, Connie didn't find herself bobbling around at all. Lapis held her firmly and steadily the whole time.

"You still feeling good?" came Lapis's voice.

"Yeah, I am," Connie responded.

"Good. Then let's start the cool stuff." They began to descend and before long they were gliding just a few feet above the street. Connie saw buildings, cars, and people zoom by.

"Streets are fer driving, ya mook!" Connie heard someone shout as they passed. Empire City still didn't care for tourists, it seems. She was just about to say as much to Lapis, when she looked up and saw a tall office building ahead of them. As they flew closer and closer to it, Lapis didn't seem to be changing their course.

"Uh, Lapis? Do you see that in front of us?" Connie asked a little unassuredly.

"Oh, I see it," Lapis responded simply.

They continued to fly straight ahead despite the looming building. They were almost on top of it when Connie closed her eyes, bracing for the sure-to-be impact… only to feel a change in the wind instead. She opened her eyes and saw that they had indeed almost crashed into the building, however, Lapis had made a last second change in course and had started to ascend rapidly, leaving Connie blinking as she saw her reflection in the building's windows. Soon they had reached the top of the structure and they kept ascending until they were once again hovering over all the building below.

"So, how was that?" Lapis asked.

"That was… pretty incredible," Connie replied breathlessly. "Can other Gems fly like this?"

"Other lapis lazuli, I suppose," Lapis said. "I only started experimenting with flight when I came to Earth during the war."

"Why wait until then?" Connie asked. "This seems like a really convenient way to get around."

"I didn't really have much of a chance before then. I was just a-" Lapis suddenly cut herself off midsentence. "Well… Nevermind. The less said about Homeworld, the better." Her expression turned gloomy as if she were remembering something she wished she hadn't. Or perhaps remembering something she wished was still around. "Anyway," she said, shaking the gloominess off. "How about we head back to Steven and Peridot? They're probably shouting our names, trying to see where we are."

"Probably." Connie agreed, smirking.

The pair began to fly back the way they had come, though slower then they had gone to get here. They didn't want to miss the red 'X' that marked where the warp pad was. They flew in silence, city sounds and rushing wind excepted, until a familiar song started playing from Connie's pocket.

 

♪ _Sukisuki suu! Fuwafuwa fuu! Konna kimochi. MELO MEl-_

 

Connie hurriedly fished her cell phone from out of her pocket and hit the 'Talk' button before even seeing who was calling.

"Hello?" she greeted.

"Connie? Where are you and Lapis?" It was Steven, his voice just a little strained.

"Oh, Steven," Connie said, relieved it was just him. "Um, well we're still flying."

Connie heard Steven sigh from the other end of the phone. "That's good. So both of you are okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't we be?" Connie asked, growing slightly uneasy.

"Well, Peridot and I were going to use the warp pad the get to another pad that was hopefully not surrounded by walls," Steven explained. "But when we tried to teleport, the warp pad wasn't working."

"Wasn't working?" Connie repeated. "Like, at all?"

"Nope. Not at all." Steven said. "Peridot thinks that there might be something messing with… um, hey Peridot. What was it you said was wrong with the warp pad?" Connie heard Peridot give her response, but couldn't make out what it was exactly. "Oh, yeah. Right." Steven said once Peridot had finished. He still sounded unsure as to what Peridot's theory was. "Well, Peridot said something is messing with the warp pad. And she also says, since we were able to warp in, it must have only started after we got here."

"Which might mean that the Gem know's we're here." Connie supplied.

"Yeah, that was Peridot's idea too," Steven confirmed.

"Well, you two just hang tight," Connie said. "Lapis and I will be there-" Connie was cut off by a sudden bout of turbulence. She turned her head to get a better look at Lapis and saw, to her horror, that Lapis's wings were steadily growing smaller.

"My wings are drying up!" Lapis said, her voice tense with dread. "I-… I can't maintain my hold on the water!"

Steven was calling Connie's name and asking what was happening, but she was only vaguely aware of this. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out a solution to their mounting problem. She looked below them and saw with terror that they were still high above the roofs of the buildings below them.

"Hang on! I'm going in as low as I can!" Lapis called as they began to rapidly descend. Connie's eyes kept darting from the street below them to Lapis's almost completely disappeared wings. They had emerged at a residential neighborhood street and Connie noted they were about level with the second story windows when she heard Lapis yell, "Brace yourself!"

But before Connie could do anything to prepare, she found herself suddenly spinning so that Lapis was below her and Connie was above. She was going to ask what Lapis was doing when she felt the two of them hit the ground. Or more precisely, Lapis hit the road, taking the brunt of the impact. They bounced off of it and then hit again, then bounced, then hit, before finally skidding to a stop in the middle of the road. Luckily, it was deserted.

"Connie!? Lapis?! Are you there?!" Connie was still tightly gripping her phone, from whence Steven's voice still spoke from.

Connie slowly picked herself up off the ground, her phone still held in an adrenaline-fueled death grip, while she used her free hand to pull the mass of unruly hair out of her face. That accomplished she made a quick survey of the scene: Lapis was using a parked car to steady herself, looking more confused than hurt, and other than a few small scrapes Connie couldn't find any sign of harm on herself. As the blue Gem began brushing debris off her dress, Connie took a series of deep breaths, trying to calm herself and stop thinking about how very much worse that could have gone. It was then that the increasingly distressed noises coming from her phone managed to penetrate her awareness.

Connie quickly put the phone back to her ear and answered, "S-sorry! We're here, Steven. We're okay."

"What happened? I heard Lapis say something about her wings and then… you stopped answering." Steven had more than a little worry laced into his voice.

"I'm… not really sure. One moment we were flying perfectly fine, and then the next Lapis's wings began to disappear," Connie explained. "But, luckily she was able to put us down safely." Connie glanced over at the Gem, who gave a small smirk and nodded in return.

"And you're both okay?" Steven asked.

"I am. And…" Connie looked back at Lapis, who gracefully spun on her heel in order to show off her Gem. It still looked perfect. "Lapis is okay too," she confirmed.

"That's a relief," Steven said, sounding as if a massive weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. "Alright, do you know where you are?"

"We're in a neighborhood, but beyond that, I don't really know," Connie answered as she and Lapis moved from the street to the sidewalk. "I don't think we're that far from you and Peridot."

"That's good. Can you come back and meet us? While I was trying to get a hold of you, Peridot may have found something… important." Steven said.

"Important? Is it something related to the Gem?" Connie asked.

"Probably," Steven replied. "Just get back here as quick as you can."

"Alright. We're heading your way. See you soo- Wait!." Connie suddenly remembered. "Without Lapis's flying, how are we going to get you and Peridot out from behind the wall?"

Connie heard Steven chuckle. "That's already been taken care of."

"It has?" Connie questioned, a little confused.

"Yep. Just hurry back. We'll explain everything when you get back." Steven answered, vaguely.

"Okay." Connie said slowly. "We're heading back. See you soon."

"You too."

Connie ended the call and closed her phone. "Steven said he and Peridot found something important back at the warp pad."

"Yeah, I heard," Lapis responded. "I'm more concerned about what the discovery could be."

"Me too." Connie agreed. "But for now, we should start to head back to them." She looked around, trying to find some sort of landmark. "But… I'm not really sure where we are."

"I do," Lapis said simply. "Or, I know where we are in relation to where we teleported into." She pointed in a direction just off to their side. "Steven, Peridot, and the warp pad should be about a mile that way."

"Wow, Lapis. That's pretty impressive." Connie said. "I still get lost in the hospital my Mom works in."

Lapis smirked smugly. "When you fly, you need a good sense of directions." Her face dropped, however, with her next statement. "But if we're walking, it's going to take a little while."

"So you don't know what happened up there?" Connie asked.

Lapis shook her head. "Not in the slightest. It's like, I was slowly losing my control over water. And now…" She turned towards a nearby puddle on the sidewalk. She reached out with her hand and had an expression on her face that seemed to indicate she was concentrating really hard. She stared intently at the puddle for several seconds but, in the end, the water remained where it was.

"Nothing?" Connie asked.

Lapis sighed. "Nothing." She glanced forlornly at the puddle before turning away. "It's like… I've lost my hydrokinesis. That was one of the things this planet had going for it. Tons of water. But now…"

"Hmm… Do you think it has to do with the warp pad suddenly not working?" Connie suggested.

Lapis perked up at this. "Maybe. Though I'm not sure what could do that."

"Well, we'll never know if we don't regroup with Peridot and Steven," Connie said.

Lapis nodded. "Agreed. Let's go."

They began walking down the street, the relative silence holding around them. No cars or people had passed them since they had landed. Lapis had picked the perfect street to crash into from the sky, it seemed. But as they reached the end of the street and turned down another, Lapis finally broke the silence.

"You're not really scared of heights, are you?" she asked.

Connie didn't say anything at first, but finally asked in return, "What gave it away?"

"The lie itself," Lapis answered. "It was pretty good, but after spending so much time in court, you start to pick up on the subtle tells people have when they lie. It probably would have fooled most people, though."

Connie sighed heavily. "Yeah. I've become a pretty good liar recently. I'm doing my best to stop."

"Then why lie in the first place?" Lapis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because… because I was really unsure about going up with you, Lapis." Connie answered.

"Okay… But why?"

"I didn't know if, once we had gotten high up, if… you would let go of me."

"L-let go of you?" Lapis stuttered, clearly shaken by the thought. "Why would I do that?"

"It wouldn't have been the first time you would have tried to kill me." Connie shot back.

She knew instantly she had hit a raw spot. Lapis looked immediately crestfallen and only simply replied, "Oh. Yeah, I guess not."

Connie felt terrible at once and quickly began to backpedal. "No, I-… I'm sorry, Lapis. That was unfair of me." She paused, wanting to see if Lapis would respond. She did not. "Steven told me about everything that's happened to you. Being poofed and having your gem cracked, being trapped in the mirror… just wanting to find home. That's not an easy life."

"That's no excuse," Lapis responded solemnly. "Steven's also told me about you. About how brave and smart and inspiring you are. About how… how during the pyramid incident, when you laid there with the life slowly draining out of you, he told me that the only thing that kept him from breaking down completely was the thought of seeing you smile again once it was all over." Lapis paused, brushing away some of the tears that were welling up in her eyes, "I was angry and upset. I was just lashing out against everyone, even those who did nothing wrong. But that's not who I am. I-… I don't harm innocent people."

At first, Connie had nothing to say. This was a far cry from the cooly uninterested Lapis that she had met at the barn. Maybe what Steven had said about her was true. "Lapis…" she began before trailing off. "I… it's alright. I forgive you."

The Gem looked back her as she rubbed her eyes. "You… forgive me?" she stiffly laughed. "For trying to kill you?"

Connie chuckled lightly. "Sure. If you can't forgive people for that, what can you forgive them for?"

Lapis gave a small smile. "Yeah, I guess that's true." She was quiet for a moment before saying, "So, let's try this again." She stopped in her tracks, Connie doing the same. "My name's Lapis Lazuli. Steven rescued me from a mirror."

"And my name is Connie Maheswaran. Steven rescued me from…" she trailed off, a sort of realization coming over her. "He rescued me from being alone… He has a habit of doing that, it seems."

"He does." Lapis agreed.

After another moment of silence, the pair began walking down the street again, the air heavy between them but cleared of a lot of the negative feelings that had been there.

It felt like they really had just met for the first time.

…

…

…

"Hey, Lapis?"

"Yes, Connie?"

"Did… Steven really say all that about me?" Connie asked.

"He did," Lapis replied easily. "He thinks a lot of you."

Connie felt her cheeks begin to grow warm and turn red. "Yeah. I think a lot of him too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another kinda slow-ish chapter. I was going to introduce the wayward Gem here, but I felt taking some time to firmly establish Lapis and Connie's relationship moving forward was important. So the Gem will probably show up next chapter.
> 
> Thanks for the read and, as always, critical feedback is welcomed.


	3. The Wayward Gem

Peridot hadn't been in many human homes. In fact, she had only been in one, that, of course, being Steven's. But Peridot wanted to learn all she could about Earth and the humans who lived on it. She had tried to get into some of the domiciles of the citizens of Beach City, but both the Gems and Steven discouraged that idea. She had tried to convince Connie to allow her to explore her house, but again, Connie very much discouraged that, citing her parents and how they wouldn't take to well to a Gem rummaging through their living space.

Peridot snorted. They should be so lucky as to have the great and wonderful Peridot explore their possessions.

But now, she finally had a chance, of sorts. While Steven waited outside, Peridot explored the abandoned house they found themselves in. Unfortunately, after exploring the sleeping quarters, the cleaning facilities, and the gathering room, all she had found was ample amounts of dust. And that was fascinating for a while. After all, a small army of howlites and pearls kept Homeworld perfectly clean, which meant that there was almost never dust anywhere. But after finding almost nothing but dust and a bit of left behind furniture, Peridot's mounting frustration had begun to reach a tipping point.

She now stood in the gathering room. It had a firepit and a short table, as well as an elongated chair. And dust, of course. Lots of dust. Peridot sighed and groaned at the same time. She knew where she wanted to explore next, but… Her eyes darted to a door that could just barely be seen past the food preparation area. That led down into what Steven had called the basement. But in the same breath that he had said that, he also said that they should wait for Connie and Lazuli to get back before they venture down there. Given the circumstances of the house, Peridot had to begrudgingly agree. It would be safer to go down there once they had their full number again. Peridot had just about decided to take another look at the cleaning facilities again when she heard Steven's voice cut through the silence of the house.

"Lapis! Connie! You're back!" she heard him say. Peridot rushed her way out of the gathering room, into the entrance hall, and through the door that led outside the house. What greeted her was what she expected, given Steven's cry. Connie and Lazuli were walking down the street, just a few feet away from the house.

"Hi, Steven. Peridot," Connie greeted lightly, before suddenly donning an inquisitive look as she asked, "How did you two get out of the enclosure that held the warp pad?"

"I'll show you in a minute," Steven hastily put aside. "For right now, are both of you okay?"

"Of course we are, Steven," Lazuli answered. "Connie told you that over the phone."

"I know but…" Steven said, coyly kicking a nearby pebble. "I didn't know if you were just saying that to make me not worry. You did fall from the sky, after all."

"Well, no worrying is needed," Connie assured. "While we were falling, Lapis did something very brave and turned us so that she took the brunt of the impact."

Lazuli smiled sheepishly. "Hey, it's no big deal. I just turned us so that Connie was on top while we were falling. I took most of the crash on my back."

"Your back!?" Peridot found herself crying out. "But Lazuli, that's where your gem is located! You could have damaged it!"

"Well, yeah," Lazuli responded. "But the chances of the crash shattering my gem were pretty slim. And you know, if my gem gets cracked or damaged, then Steven can just heal it again." After finishing, though, the way Steven looked away as if embarrassed or ashamed, prompted Lazuli to ask, "What? What's wrong?"

"Steven… can't heal with his spit anymore," Connie answered slowly.

"He… can't?" Lazuli glanced over at Steven, who was still avoiding eye contact. "Why? What happened?"

"It's a long story," Connie sighed. "But, suffice to say, Steven hasn't lost his power to heal, he's… just having trouble getting a handle on it," Connie smiled warmly as she looked over at Steven. "But he will eventually. I know it."

Steven turned back towards them, a bashful smile bloomed across his face. "Thanks, Connie." He turned towards Lazuli. "We still have mom's fountain water. Ya know, if anything does happen **.** And your gem is fine, Lapis?"

"Here. You can look yourself." Lazuli turned around, revealing her gem to the three of them. Peridot moved closer to Lazuli, leaning in so close to her gem that the tip of Peridot's nose almost brushed against it.

"I believe her gem is undamaged," Peridot declared finally as she took a step away from Lapis's back.

"Well, it's nice to have it officially declared such," Lazuli replied dryly. "But moving on to more pressing matters, Steven. How did you and Peridot get out of that alcove?"

"That's… kinda interesting," Steven replied. "Follow me. I'll show you." Steven walked into the house, Connie, Peridot, and Lazuli following after him. He led them into the gathering room, over by the firepit. "So while I was on the phone with Connie, Peridot was messing around with one of the walls."

"It was strictly for research purposes," Peridot said, choosing to defend herself before Lazuli could comment. "I have rarely been able to examine another human building this close. I wanted to see all that it hid."

Steven nodded at Peridot's comment. "And she did. When she leaned against a certain brick, the wall and the fireplace just-… well here. Let me show you." Steven then smoothly turned around and faced the fireplace and, after carefully counting out the bricks in order to find the one he was looking for, Steven carefully, but firmly pressed against it. And to Connie and Lazuli's visible surprise, the firepit quickly disappeared, leaving a small hole in the wall that led to the alcove and the warp pad. Now that Peridot was seeing it again, (for the eleventh time) she noted that the way it disappeared looked uncannily like an object being teleported via warp pad. But even a cursory examination of the ground beneath the firepit revealed that there was no pad there. Most interesting.

"Does it come back?" Connie asked simply.

"Yeah. Give it a few seconds," Steven answered. And, on cue, the firepit and the bit of wall immediately surrounding reappeared as if nothing had happened.

"That's… I… I don't know. What does that mean? That's Gem technology, right?" Connie asked, her eyes still glued to the firepit.

"Indeed," Peridot answered. "While I can't confirm it without the proper tools, it appears that this firepit is being teleported away in a manner similar to how a warp pad teleports."

"But I didn't see a warp pad underneath there," Lazuli responded.

"I know! Isn't it great?" Peridot asked, not being able to hide her excitement. "It's been far too long since I've been able to study and inspect a new piece of tech."

"But that's not the weirdest part," Steven interjected. "There's also the basement…"

"The basement?" Connie asked. "What's in there?"

"We do not know," Peridot answered. "The door is barred by an electronic keypad. It's an older, pre-rebellion model."

"'An older, pre-rebellion model'…" Lazuli trailed off. "But this house couldn't have been built before the rebellion. Humans weren't building homes like this back then."

"Which means…" Connie trailed off, a mild look a fear slowly rising on her face. "Does that mean… Homeworlds been visiting Earth and the Gems don't know?"

That was a thought that hadn't occurred to Peridot yet and it was truly frightening. She had already almost cracked her own gem in panic when the force of rubies arrived at the barn. But if Homeworld has been sending agents to Earth and the Crystal Gems weren't aware of it…

"Can we get in the basement?" Lazuli asked, bringing Peridot out of her own mind. "Something tells me that this house and our visitor Gem are no coincidences."

"Peridot's looked at the keypad," Steven said. "She thinks she can get it open. Right, Peridot?"

"Er, yes. Of course," Peridot said shakily. "After some trial and error, I believe I have the key combination required to open it."

"Any idea what's down there?" Connie asked.

"Nothing good, I'm sure," Steven answered weightly.

"Yeah, I'm sure too," She glanced over at the firepit. "It's too bad the warp pad doesn't work. Considering what we've found out, bringing a sword might have been a good idea."

"Well, let's not assume anything yet. We still don't know why the Gem is here," Steven replied calmly.

"Of course, we do!" Peridot exclaimed, flustered by the flurry of unpleasant thoughts that had been swimming in her mind. "Homeworld agents have been infiltrating Earth so as to find me and crack my gem!"

"Paranoid much, Peridot?" Lazuli asked snarkily.

"You would be too if you called one of the Diamonds a clod!" Peridot retorted. "A group of rubies has already been to the barn! Is this such a stretch?"

"The rubies weren't even looking for you," Lazuli responded flatly.

"…That's not the point!"

"Okay, guys. Come on." Steven said, getting in between the two. "Regardless of who's looking for who, right now we need to stay focused on the mission."

"Yes. Right," Peridot gulped.

"Alright, Steven," Lazuli answered smoothly. "I guess we need to get into the basement." She shifted her gaze back to the green Gem. "Peridot?"

Peridot said nothing, only nodding and walking into and through the food preparation area, the others following her. After exiting there, she was face to face with the simple door leading to the basement. She looked at the keypad and, with only a bit of hesitance, input what she thought was the correct code.

**ONX3287**

A quiet buzzer sounded and a noticeable 'click' came from the door. Peridot grabbed and turned the handle, pushing the door open easily.

"Good job, Peridot," Steven said. "How'd you know the code?"

"It required careful examination of the pad." Peridot began to explain. "I tested each button, trying to determine how often each one had been used, followed by-"

"That door is made out of wood." Lazuli interrupted nonchalantly. "I could have punched a hole through it easily. Even you could have." She glanced at the lightly blushing Gem. "Well, maybe if you had your limb enhancers..."

Peridot began to talk softly, "Er, well that um… that could have been done as well, yes…"

"Well, regardless of how she did it, Peridot got us in," Steven said, raising Peridots spirits a bit. He then moved past the Gem and took the lead. "Come on, guys. Our answers might rest down here." He then began to walk down the stairs, Connie quickly joining behind him, followed by Lazuli and then with Peridot trailing behind her.

* * *

Steven hadn't really been sure what to expect in the basement, but what they did find… It made him feel very uneasy. It was like they had stepped back into the archival room where they had found the pyramid. Though, luckily, this time there didn't appear to be another pyramid here. This room was much more brightly lit than the archival room, featuring several lights on the ceiling rather than just one. As well, it was also much bigger, though it didn't seem like it at first. The basement was packed even tighter with odd and strange looking machinery. Just by looks, Steven couldn't discern what any of them could possibly do. The only one that looked familiar was at the far end of the room. It took up the entire wall and the only features it had was a display screen and a keyboard. It seemed to be another databank, just like in the archival room.

"Peridot," Steven said. "Is that a databank computer?" He pointed at the wall encompassing device.

"It would seem so," Peridot answered.

"Do you think you can access it?" Steven asked. "Maybe it has some information on why the warp pad stopped working."

Peridot nodded. "Of course. Getting into it should be child's play." She briskly walked over to the databank and began to type at its keyboard.

"Orders for us, Steven?" Connie asked.

"Umm… I guess just spread out and see if you can find anything interesting."

"This place is filled with interesting things," Lapis said, her eyes moving swiftly around the room. "The real question is what any of these things do."

"Something tells me I don't want to know that," Connie replied.

"Yeah," Lapis said simply. "Probably right."

The three then split apart, each taking a different part of the room to investigate. However, the part that Steven had decided to take didn't seem to have any machines, only spare parts for machines. There were bins full of various bits and bobs, all of which looked thoroughly unfamiliar to him. He moved away from the bins and onto what looked like a table or desk. It, like the bins, was cluttered with all kinds of mechanical parts, but again, Steven had no idea what any of them could be used for. He was just about to leave the desk when something caught his eye. It was not a mechanical part, it was a…

Steven gasped inaudibly as he lifted his discovery up.

He had discovered a gem on the table.

It was green and rectangular shaped. The gem looked fairly nondescript, all things considered, until Steven noticed it's prominent feature. It had a long crack, trailing from one of its sides to the other. The gem was damaged.

"S-Steven! Help me!"

Before Steven could begin to think about what to do with the cracked gem, Peridot's panicked voice echoed throughout the basement. He turned around and saw, to his terror, that someone had grabbed Peridot and was holding her close in front of themselves, one of their arms wrapped around her throat in order to keep her in place. But perhaps most distressingly, the captor had their other hand placed over Peridot's forehead, in a prime position to damage her gem.

There was no mistake who this was. She was green with a yellow diamond highlight on her chest, had a triangular gem placed on her forehead, and wore her bright red hair in what looked like a large ponytail. This was definitely their mysterious Gem.

"Put the gem down," she said smoothly, though with a very sharp edge to her voice. Steven's eyes darted to the cracked gem still in his hand. His eyes had rested on it for less than a second before the Gems sharp voice cut through the room again. "Hey!" Steven quickly looked back at Peridot and the Gem. While Peridot's face conveyed the fear that she was no doubt feeling, her captor was… a little harder to read. On the surface, she looked angry and dangerous. But… there was something just underneath that. Was it… fear as well?

"Put the gem back on the table," she repeated. "Or else your peridot is going to have a split in her own gem." She tightened her grip around Peridot's neck. Slowly and carefully, Steven put the gem that he had found back on the table. After gently laying it down, he took a few steps away from the table.

"There. It's on the table." Steven said, noticing for the first time since this had started that Connie and Lapis were positioned together just off to the side. He felt his nerves loosen, just by a hair. "Now that I did that, you let go of Peridot."

"Not yet," she shot back. She jerked her head over towards Lapis and Connie. "Go join your friends over there."

Without much of an option, Steven began to walk over to the pair. After a few steps, the Gem began walking herself and Peridot over to the desk where Steven had found the gem. The three of them reached their destinations at the same time.

"Well?" Steven asked. Without a word, the Gem loosened her grasp on Peridot, who quickly scampered over to Steven, Connie, and Lapis.

"Are you alright?" Connie asked before Steven had a chance to.

"Ye-… I think so, yes." Peridot replied shakily, as she positioned herself behind the trio.

Steven turned his attention from his released friend back to the Gem. "Who are you?" he asked. The Gem wasn't paying them much mind, instead, she had picked up the green rectangular gem from the desk and was slowly looking over it. "Hey!" Steven cried at her continued disregard. "I asked you a question."

"Don't bother, Steven," Lapis cut in coolly. "I know who she is. A jadeite."

"That's not who I am!"

That got the Gem's attention back on the group. Her gaze felt heavy on Steven, like she was slowly drilling a hole through him. The cracked gem was still clutched firmly in her hand. "That's not who I am anymore," she said simply.

"Then… who are you?" Steven asked.

The Gem was silent for several moments as she looked at the cracked gem in her hand. She then carefully placed it back on the desk before answering, "My name is… Jade."

"Jade?" Connie asked. "But I thought Gems just used their gem type for their name."

"It was a somewhat common practice during the war," Lapis responded. "A lot of Gems who joined the rebels also changed their names as a symbolic gesture to distance themselves from Homeworld."

"Then… Does that mean you're a lost Crystal Gem trying to reconnect with those left on Earth?" Steven asked excitedly.

"N-no…" Jade responded, looking away from them. "My… purpose for Homeworld didn't involve Earth during the war."

"Stop stalling," Lapis cut in. "Tell us why you're here."

Jade pursed her lips. "You have a rather large presence for a lazuli."

Lapis smugly crossed her arms. "If you had spent more time in the Noble's Court, then you'd probably know that lapis lazulis can strike when you least expect it."

Jade snorted. "Unless your mistress says otherwise."

Lapis's expression quivered slightly at Jade's comment but otherwise, she gave no response.

Silence held in the room for a while now. Both sides just stood across from each other, waiting for the next move to be made. Steven knew he had to say something to ease the mounting tension…

"Who's that cracked gem on the desk?" he asked, his voice breaking through the quiet that had engulfed the room.

Jade was silent for several seconds before answering as softly as she could while still being heard, "She's the reason I'm here."

Steven perked up as his mind began to make some connections. "You're here because you want to heal your friend!"

Connie seemed to have made a similar connection. "Oh, yeah! Betraying your home because you must help your closest friend! It's just like what Lisa had to do in order to save Archimicarus in 'Overneath the Underworld'."

Jade, however, looked as if the two were speaking gibberish. "Heal her? What are you talking about? Once a gem's cracked, there's no 'healing' it."

Steven couldn't hide his surprise on his face. "No healing…? What do you mean? Of course, gems can be healed."

"Homeworld Gems aren't quite as enlightened as the rest of us," Lapis said simply.

"Or as gullible," Jade countered. "I don't get swept up in every Rebellion-Era rumor that still manages to float around Homeworld."

"It's no rumor," Connie said. "Cracked gems can be healed."

Jade, though, still looked unconvinced. "Right," she said sarcastically. "Next, you're going to tell me that the legendary Rose Quartz is still alive and leading the Crystal Gems."

"She is!" Steven exclaimed, before the vigor drained from him slightly, "Well, sort of anyway…"

"I see," Jade sighed. "Well, you bring her and her mystical healing tears here then." She glanced at the gem still resting on the desk. "If there's one Gem who deserves to be healed, it's Emerald."

"Emerald… That's your friend's name?" Steven asked.

A warm, nostalgic smile slowly built its way across Jade's face. "Yeah. That's her. One of the best Gems to ever be harvested. Without her I…" She trailed off as she blinked repeatedly to dismiss the tears that had begun to well in her eyes.

Jade was still looking at the cracked gem when Steven decided what he needed to do in order to end this stalemate. He took a step forward, before being stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Steven," Connie said. He looked back at her, and she then hesitated over what she was going to say. Finally, she removed her hand, saying only, "Be careful." Steven nodded firmly before continuing on his way.

He walked across the room, Jade's back still turned towards him. If she knew he was coming, she made no sign of it. After crossing the threshold and standing just a few feet away from the wayward Gem, Steven said simply, "We can help Emerald."

Jade immediately turned around, her gaze resting heavily on Steven once again. "Help Emerald? How?"

"We can heal her."

Jade sighed with frustration. "Not this again…"

"No, you don't understand-"

"No, _you_ don't understand." Jade cut in. "Look, I know you and your other human friend over there must think you're on top of everything. I mean, I'm not sure how you've gotten a peridot and a lapis lazuli to follow your orders. But I was alive before human civilization was even a thing. Plus, I'm a Gem. I might not know as much as a topaz, but I've seen more than you could ever hope to."

Steven was silent for a moment before asking simply, "If I show you something, something you never thought you'd see, will you… you know, calm down and let us discuss some things with you?"

"That… seems fairly one-sided in my favor," Jade said skeptically. "All you want is to talk with me?" Steven nodded his head. After a beat, Jade sighed again. "Alright. What have you got?"

Steven grabbed the hem of his shirt and slowly raised it up, revealing both his belly and his birthright.

"I have a gem," he said simply.

Jade was visibly shocked into silence. Her eyes were glued to Steven's pink quartz gem. She opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, but no noise came out.

"My mother was Rose Quartz," Steven said. "She… gave up her form to give birth to me."

"W-what's your… what's your name?" Jade asked shakily.

"Steven Quartz Universe."

She was quiet for another moment before saying, "Okay. You win. I was not expecting that."

 

 

"So why are you here on Earth?" Connie asked.

The five of them were now gathered around the desk, Steven, Connie, Lapis, and Peridot on one side, with Jade and the cracked gem on the other.

"My friend, Emerald, and I wanted to… escape from Homeworld," Jade explained.

But why? All the Gems I've known didn't want to break away from Homeworld until after they'd been on Earth for a while." Connie replied.

Jade smirked darkly. "I'm not sure what you think about Homeworld, but I can assure you, there are a lot of Gems who want nothing more than to leave."

"Okay, but why did you want to leave exactly?" Lapis pressed.

"You said it yourself. I… was a jadeite," Jade answered softly.

"What's a jadeite?" Steven asked. Lapis didn't answer, her eyes merely darting across the table to Jade.

"A jadeite is part of the scouting class of gems," Jade began to explain. "Jadeites are split into two groups. Those who scout for planets and those who scout out locations on those planets."

"What kind of locations?" Steven asked.

"It depends on what's going to be put there. Things like military outposts, science complexes, manufacturing hubs…"

"New kindergarten locations…" Peridot interjected, her eyes narrowed on Jade.

The Gem looked as if she had been physically hit by Peridot's comment. "Yeah," she replied quietly. "Kindergarten locations…"

"You can cease with the charade," Peridot hissed. "You are here to restart the kindergarten on Earth, aren't you?"

"No! That's not why I'm here!" Jade shot back.

"Huh! Right. Like we're just going to believe that a jadeite just happened to land on the only planet that's had it's kindergarten program interrupted before it was finished," Peridot smugly retorted.

"Listen, you…" Jade lowly growled. "I know you peridots are used to always having some kind of overseer constantly whispering in your ear that what you're doing is good and what's best. But when you're a jadeite, you spend so much time alone. And… you begin to wonder… I'm killing these planets. Any life they have or could have… all gone. Because of me…" Jade trailed off as she began softly sobbing, thick tears hitting against the desk.

"Jade?" Steven interjected gently. The Gem looked up from the desk, two tear trails leading from either eye. "You don't have to do that anymore," He smiled softly, doing his best to try and comfort the weeping Gem. "Gems on Earth can do whatever they want."

"Steven!" Peridot sharply whispered. "You can not believe her! Jadeites aren't to be trusted. She said it herself, all that time spent alone can mess with a Gem's head."

"Yeah, not to spread stereotypes, but all the jadeites I've ever met have all been a little… touched," Lapis added.

"But Jade seems very… lucid," Connie retorted. "Plus she said she didn't want to do what Homeworld says anymore. And isn't that who the Crystal Gems are? Gems who don't want the purpose Homeworld gave them?"

"I can hear you talking about me." Jade interrupted smoothly. The four turned from each other and all looked at Jade. "Look. You don't trust me. I understand that. But I don't want to be a part of your… group, the Crystal Gems or Rose's Rebels or whatever…" She paused, her gaze turning downward towards the cracked gem on the desk. "You say that you can heal cracked gems," she said softly. "Then, please… Heal Emerald." She looked back up at the group, her eyes filled with steely resolve. "If you do, then we'll just leave. Off world, even. Just… please. Help Emerald… She doesn't deserve this…"

The room was perfectly silent. No one said anything or made any kind of move. They all just looked at each other.

Until…

"I believe you, Jade," Steven said.

The corners of Jade's mouth quivered in disbelief. "Y-you do?"

Steven nodded. "Yep. I do… When you had Peridot captured, the only thing you demanded was for me to put down the cracked gem."

"Emerald."

"Right, right. Emerald," Steven corrected himself. "And after that, you let her go once you were over by the desk." Steven's kind smile once again spread across his face. "Even though you didn't know who we were or what we wanted, your concern was still Emerald's safety."

"S-so you'll… you'll help me?" Jade stammered.

Steven nodded again. "Yeah. We'll help."

Jade fell forward a little, bracing herself against the table. "Th-thank you." She looked directly across the table. "Steven, right?"

Steven chuckled. "That's me."

"You're something else, Steven. I don't know many who would willingly help a runaway Gem." Jade marveled.

"We're the Crystal Gems. That's what we do." Steven replied easily.

Jade was quiet for several moments, before finally asking, "So… what now? How do we heal Emerald?"

"Simple," Steven answered. "My Mom, Rose Quartz. She had a fountain that is full of her tears."

"Her tears?" Jade asked. "What… what good does that do?"

"Her tears were the source of her healing powers," Connie explained. "A single tear could revive a cracked or damaged gem."

"That's incredible," Jade said slowly. "I mean, there were rumors during the war about Rose being able to heal broken gems, but… I never put much stock in it." She paused for a beat, before continuing, "Then again, I never thought I'd see a human who possesses a gem either."

"But we still have one problem," Lapis said. "The warp pad is still not working."

"Oh, right," Jade said as if she had just remembered a minor detail she had forgotten. "That's uh… kinda my doing."

"Hmph. I figured as much." Peridot said crossly.

"Here. I can undo it real quick," Jade hastily left the table (though not before grabbing Emerald's gem) and quickly strode over to what looked like a steel rod with a metal ball placed at the top.

No, not metal, Steven noted as he and the others followed Jade over to the device. The ball at the top was some kind of crystalline material. Kind of like a warp pad, except this ball looked darker and less shiny.

"This is a device that disrupts certain bits of Gem technology," Jade explained. "Though, from what I can gather from the databank, it's main use is blocking warp pads… Well, some of them anyway. Warp pads are so eclectically designed, it can only block some of them." She kneeled down and began to feel around the base of the device as if looking for something. "I activated it once I noticed you had warped in. Though, the only two I saw were Steven and th-"

"Peridot." the Gem interrupted firmly. "I'm not 'a' peridot. My name is Peridot."

Jade seemed to find whatever she was looking for. There was a click, and then she stood back up, dusting her knees off as she did. "I'm sorry," she said at last. "It's no excuse, but… these last few days haven't been the easiest of my life," She looked at them, all of them as a group. "So Steven, Peridot, Lapis, and- uh…"

She grinned lightly. "Connie."

Jade nodded. "Right. Steven, Peridot, Lapis, and Connie. It's good to meet you all. I-…" She opened her hand and looked softly at Emerald's damaged gem. "Thank you for helping me. I… I'm not proud of what I've done… with Homeworld, I mean. But Emerald doesn't deserve to remain cracked because of that."

"Don't worry, Jade. We're going to help her." Steven assured.

A slow smile cracked across Jade's face. "I… I know." She looked back at Emerald's gem. "You're going to be okay…" she whispered softly.

Without another word, the group began to walk up the stairs, leading out of the basement.

They had found the Gem, Steven mused to himself. But it seems there was more going on than just a runaway Gem. Despite the easy demeanor he had presented to Jade, Steven was in fact quite nervous over what was going to happen next. He wanted to help Jade and Emerald, but… there was some unease within him. Whether intentional or not, he was leading this mission.

And that worried him.

He gulped as he glanced over to Connie, who still looked as calm and controlled as she had since their first steps into the basement.

He sighed internally.

Even without Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst here, Steven still wasn't alone. He had his friends. And they'd help Jade and Emerald. Together.

"Hey, Peridot," Jade said. "I've never seen an Era Two peridot without limb enhancers. Are you all this short?"

Peridot let out a muffled cry of anger. "I will have you know that I am in the top eighty-ninth percentile of height, in my class of peridots!"

He sighed again.

They'd do this together. Hopefully before a fight broke out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And lo, with only...
> 
> *checks clock*
> 
> With only twelve hours left until The Summer of Steven begins, I present to you, a new chapter.  
> Also noteworthy is that, while not my first OC, Jade is the first one I've felt confident enough to put in a fic and then post it. Hopefully you like her. Or, at the very least, are willing to give her a chance as her character and backstory unfolds.
> 
> Thanks for the read and, as always, critical feedback is always welcomed.


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